Synopsis
On February 6, South Korea's Acting President Choi Sang-mok faced a parliamentary committee's scrutiny regarding President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration, particularly about a memo Yoon allegedly provided instructing a budget for an emergency legislative assembly.Key Takeaways
- Choi Sang-mok was questioned about a memo from Yoon.
- The memo suggested budget measures for martial law.
- Choi was overwhelmed and did not read the memo.
- DP criticized Choi's delay in appointing a justice.
- Yoon faces impeachment and insurrection charges.
Seoul, Feb 6 (NationPress) The Acting President of South Korea, Choi Sang-mok, faced intense questioning on Thursday from a special parliamentary committee focused on investigating President Yoon Suk Yeol's attempt to impose martial law. Opposition lawmakers scrutinized Choi regarding a memo that Yoon purportedly provided, which directed him to prepare a budget for an emergency legislative assembly.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Party (DP), particularly interrogated Choi, who served as finance minister on December 3, the day Yoon declared an emergency martial law. They inquired about a memo that Yoon allegedly delivered to him that same night.
During the hearing, Rep. Choo Mi-ae pressed Choi, stating, 'You mentioned in your testimony that the President disseminated documents during the martial law declaration, yet you claim to have not reviewed them. Shouldn’t you have taken the time to do so?'
Choi responded by mentioning that he was given a 'folded note,' but he felt too overwhelmed to read it at that moment.
This memo reportedly described strategies to halt operational expenses for the National Assembly and to allocate a budget for the emergency legislature under martial law.
The DP also criticized Choi for postponing the appointment of Justice Ma Eun-hyuk, who was recommended by the Opposition, to fill the ninth position in the Constitutional Court.
The controversy surrounding the appointments to this nine-member bench, currently one member short, is significant as its makeup will influence the impeachment trial of Yoon.
During the session, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and other officials were also in attendance, as reported by Yonhap news agency.
Previously, the National Assembly had voted to impeach Yoon due to his abrupt, yet brief, declaration of martial law on December 3. He has been indicted on charges related to leading an insurrection and is currently under arrest.
Yoon is additionally accused of deploying military personnel to the National Assembly to obstruct lawmakers from voting against the martial law declaration and of plotting to detain key political figures.
